Living his dream: 19-year-old with Down's Syndrome made policeman for a day

Clad in a police uniform, specially stitched by the police for the occasion, Stevin Mathew, who has Down’s Syndrome, beamed when police constables saluted him inside the station.

Stevin Mathew is a happy 19-year-old. His long time desire to be a policeman was fulfilled for a day, thanks to the Chennai police.

Clad in a police uniform, specially stitched by the police for the occasion, Stevin Mathew, who has Down’s Syndrome, beamed when police constables saluted him inside the station on Friday.

He is the son of Rajeev and Ciby Mathew, from Doha in Quatar, and is currently studying in a special school called HOPE Qatar run by his parents. On Friday, he went on rounds in the police patrol vehicle around Ashok Nagar, accompanied by police constables and his parents.

It all started with an email that Mr. Mathew wrote to the Chennai police commissioner A.K. Vishwanathan, 10 days ago.

“He was fascinated by the police after watching his favourite stars Suresh Gopi, Vijay and others. He always wanted to become a police officer. So I decided to write a mail to the Commissioner when we came to Chennai for a vacation,” Mr. Mathew told The Hindu.

Last week, officers from the Ashok Nagar police station called Mr. Mathew back, and two days ago they came to meet Stevin. “They took his measurements and even got a police uniform with two stars stitched for him,” the happy father said.

Stevin was ecstatic when he entered the Ashok Nagar police station around 5 p.m. on Friday. “He took a few phone calls and used the walkie-talkie and other communication equipment,” said a police officer attached to the Ashok Nagar police station.

Though Stevin holds a Diploma in Computer Applications, his father feels that children like him can shine well if given the right opportunities. “He has met Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he came to Qatar,” said Mr. Mathew.

Commissioner A.K. Vishwanathan, who initiated the programme, said that they planned the day only to be as a source of encouragement to Stevin.